SADC countries once again demonstrate that dialog is the way for southern africa democracy. It is not going to the Island nation of UK, that solves the problems. Yes, the sooner Zimbabwe releases all the election results the better. It is also noteworthy that Zambia is demanding the results sooner. It is nice to see SADC leaders disagree with each other, but still come together. Zimbabwe is not in a crisis yet. If you read the usual fools in the UK, you would think the world has turned upside down. The hyperbole from the UK is sickening. This Island nation called the "UK" is increasingly becoming irrelevant to Zimbabweans and the entire African continent.

Its unfortunate when people like Phiri make statemates like that about our country.Us Zimbabweans clearly feel that we have passed Crisis level and are in hell . When we can't buy bread,sugar or even mealie meal,to me thats hell.When my son goes to school ther are no teachers those that are there are busy selling stuff to augement their pay. I am lucky that i have brother overseas who from time to time sends me money.Its appropriate for SADC to meet on our behalf and yes for us the world has turned upside down,so when the UK speaks we agree with them. South Africa in particular THABO Mbeki has let us down ,all we want is normalcy. So Phiri realise i want my children to eat every day ,go to school ,to grow up in a place where your vote is respcted.May Sadc help up us to achieve this ,Mugabe has failed us.

bA pHIRI How many people should die of hunger for you guys to finally admit there is a problem in Zimbabwe. How many people should be left jobless for you guys to admit theres a problem in Zimbabwe. How many people should cross borders illegally for you guys to admit theres a problem in Zimbabwe. How many prostitutes must be in the streets of livingstone for you guys to admit theres a problem. How many people should be beaten for speaking up in Harare for you guys to admit theres a problem in Zimbabwe. How high must the inflation rate be. You guys want 95% unemployment, 7 million illegal immigrants in South Africa, 1,000,000% INFLATION. Is that high in enough for you or maybe you want it to be higher. Mugabe must step down. It would be a chame if Zimbabwe went the same road of Zambia. The road of poor economy, poverty and AIDS. AFRICA NEEDS TO GROW UP

Mukanya and Crazy- Zambian

I live in Europe and only read what is happening in Zimbabwe through the new media. I do agree that things are hard in Zimbabwe and I am right to say these have come as a result of Britains crafted sanctions on Zimbabwe because of its nationals whose land was taken from them. Those farmers had their revenues sent to britain at the expense of developing Zimbabwe so that Britain would defend them should a criss arise over land, this they expected over time lapse. So now Morgan is their man to use at this time and there will come a time when he will be no more their favorite. Saddam Hussein once was a darling of USA, where did their friendship end. What is way forward? Why uk media covers more on Zimbabwe than Cuba, Sudan,Somalia? All these countries are in severe criss. Let the leaders find a lasting solution to Zimbabwe criss and British media should be silent because Zimbabwe is one of the many countries in the world in criss. Look at how educated blacks are treated in nordic countries, shame on the british news who report dirt in Zimbabwe whilst surrounded by heeps of dirt.

welcome to really world Mr Phiri, i find your comment about the west a bit disturbing it seems you have been brain washed by Mugabe not to see the human suffering of us Zimbabweans so many families go to bed hungry every day as the earlier people have pointent out before my response to you. As africans let's deal with dictators and get them out of leadership once and for all emetirial whether they can stand againest the west i don't think we went to war of liberations to be poor that 30yrs ago. i feed about six families around my village in Tsholotsho mathebeland and wonder when this happens to you can you really call it an oversteping by our reginal leaders (SADC)as suggested by Chronicle in Zimbabwe.

I sincerely symphathise we our brothers in Zimbabwe. What i find cowardly is the idea of running away from one silly man called mugabe. The zaireans did it, the tossed mobutu out they did not run away. they confronted the dictator, the malawians did it they did not Run away the removed and the malawians paid a heavy price. The Ugandans removed Amin they did not run away they fought the most cruel dictator out. The south africans did it they were not cowards they sorted out the aparthied rascists. So are you brothers find it easy to run. You Have to get your Acts seriously together and stop being cowards , Be brave unit and sort That old silly man out.

Let us be serious guys. Let us face it. Let us not blame outsiders for all of our problems. That is being too african. Can´t we be real and face the results of our choices? Mugabe is a nice guy? Oh ya! Europe the bad guys oh ya!. So why don´t we forget Europe and solve our problems? Cuba was under sactions but did not reach Zimbabwe´s level. Many other countries are going through serious hardship but not as the one I see in Zimbabwe. I am writting from the central city of Beira in Mozambique and sometime I wonder if there´s any street vendor, any IT, any prostitute left in Zimbabwe? It seems that they are all here and I can imagine that are everywhere else in many neighbouring countries. Now let us love Mugabe but not make him God. Isn´t there among ZANU-PF some one else to replace him? 84 years old he seems a bit old to hold his chips all together. It is called nature.

The Zimbabwe situation is more complex than any of these summits or blogs tend to suggest. The complexities arise from the foregoing:

1. Mugabe and the ruling party are credited for ending nearly a century of minority white oppressive and exploitive colonial rule. 2. Mugabe and the ruling party "chefs" have over the years since 1980 became too corrupt and very nepotic 3. The MDC has largely been exploting (2)above with dubiuos support from some of the terribly racist ex-rhodesians. 4. The economic troubles in Zimbabwe are combination of a deliberate effort by the MDC to create a desperate economic situation to force the electrolate to change the government worsened by (2) above. 5. The MDC is far from good news for Zimbabwe yet Zanu pf has increasingly handcapped itself to deliver better economics. 6. Regardless of Zanu pf's competence or incompetence, it is not a desirable situation for it to rule for ever, so people do want to see a change, inflation or no inflation. 7. Regardless of the support coming from frustrated Zimbabweans the MDC remains a liability to regional peace and african independence if allowed to form a government.

Am surprised that people do not see that Zimbabwe is in a crisis. I am not a Zimbabwean but am concerned about the rule of democracy.How can the Electrol commission fail to release election results? Who are they afraid of? I have seen the human suffering that our brothers are in Zimbabwe are going through. I have gone through Zimbabwe several times and I know that Zimbabwe need a change.

Please if it means goimg to the barrot box again , do so. But not holding the election results.

Phiri !

Do you realise that your comments are in direct contradiction with every single Zimbabwean that has crossed the borders into our country?

You say the western media is lying to everyone....but all the Zimbabweans fleeing their country have exactly the same opinions as the western media.

A lady I work with has family in Zim. She says her younger brother is as thin as a rake. She says they only eat every two or three days. Is she deceiving me ? Is she brainwashed ? Does she have a colonialist agenda ?

What about the torture stories told by Zimbabweans themselves? Are they all puppets ?

Im an African living outside Africa and I know how depressing it is to live with people who look down on you and still have the idea that they are more superior to you just bcoz you are an african. I sallute my brothers and sisters who are facing current harsh economy. Mugabe's action againt white farmers was good but I think he has lost track and needs to step down and give new brains to govern.

The so called Zimbabwean crisis should always be seen in terms of colonisation by the british empire. President Mugabe understands this.Zimbabweans should fight for sovereignity than for three meals per day.The choice is between slavery and freedom. Freedom is the law of nature. Who will benefit from the colonisation of Zimbabwe? The british oligargy as usual. All the problems of Africa are the manifestations of the british. You look at Kenya, Sudan,Ethiopia, Somalia etc. If you are not an arse licker of the west then your country is distabilised from all sides. Africa has never known freedom from the colonisers. Robert Mugabe is the only hope for Africa no matter how the west vilify him. In him we have hope for the sovereignty of Africa.

Are you guys kidding me. I know how Zimbabweans feel because Zambia went through the same when we where trying to remove KK. We where once one of the richest countries in Africa, now we are poorer than a war torn country. I know what Zimbabweans are going through and It would be a shame if Zimbabwe had to be the next Zambia (a beggar nation that cant maintain its own airline let alone a 5 star hotel). Have you guys forgotten what Mugabe has done to his own people. They are crying everyday, they cant speak up against him and the end result, well you can always book a flight to Lusaka and see for yourself what the end result looks like. Mugabe must go.

Well most of us agree with Mugabe's ideologies but we do not agree with his methodologies. Here is a man who is trying to fight for a just cause blindly and without tact. It is for this reason that a man that shall defy logic should be deemed unfit to lead. It is clear for everyone to understand and see that he lost the elections and now he wants to impose himself upon the people. We as Africans and as a region must not play political games and self pleasing gimmicks that will give us a sense of false victory over the west while the region and the masses suffer and the region suffers economically. You can not fight your enemy on an empty stomach and on a collapsed economy, you gotta be smarter than that!!!This Blind fear and senseless impotence from the Zimbabwean civil service and the region to give Mugabe the time of day to play out his fantasies of fake grandeur and gamble the lives of a nation and destabilize the economic strength of the region is unacceptable. As Africans we do not have the time to waste playing and entertaining this kind of childish games. We need to move and fast . Those that can not move must be left behind and no man nor woman irrespective of their great and appreciated defiance against a stubborn and arrogant West ,we owe it to ourselves to succeed after which we can be a force to be reckoned with. We can no longer fail because of the many stumbling blocks that the hostile west sets against us.

Mugabe has been running Zimbabwe to the ground for many years now. His people have lost their jobs, children have gone to bed hungry, and in spite of it the Zimbabweans have continued to support, clap their hands and dance around him while he struts around drunk with power and blaming every one else for his incapabilities.It is mind boggling how a nation can just blindly follow rhetoric of a dictator without question for so many years even though it can see everything falling apart right in front of it's eyes.Those who believe the Western countries are to blame for the demise of Zimbabwe are fools. Think back. Ian Smith was sanctioned by every Western country in support of one man one vote and yet Zimbabwe(Rhodesia)lacked nothing and was second to none.Unfortunately Ian Smith had his own agenda of white supremacy and it seems that Zimbabweans have gone from the frying pan to the fire. The African heads of state are weak men or do they support Mugabe because they too think like him. Watch how these leaders handle the Mugabe issue because their responses are the windows to their souls.If they can be so unconcerned about the sufferings of the people of Zimbabwe then watch out.They will not care about their citizens too.

rhodesia lacked nothing because your racist government only had to worry about 3 - 4 hundred thousand white people. The other 10 million non whites did not enjoy your privlaged lifestyle and were paid peanuts for their hard labour. So what are you talking about? Grow a brain!

In reply to author Kabutana6,I don't know how old you are. Not only do I have a brain, but as a black person lived in those days of racisim,segregation,supression - need I say more. Many members of my family and friends lost their lives in the struggle so that all Zimbabweans could at last have freedom - freedom of speech,freedom to assemble,and at last democracy.Can we say we have any of these under the rule of Mugabe? Is he any better than the racist government before him? He and not the West has single handedly destroyed not only the country but has broken the spirit of the people who live in fear of being beaten and are being forced to flee to other countries in order to feed their children.Mugabe is a brutal man to his own people.

Sounds like you want to go back to 'the good old days' under the racist rhodesian government. Hw sad - i feel very sorry for you, you sellout!

Sellouts are people like you who support ogres like Mugabe and are oblivious to the daily hardships faced by those within the country. Because of your continued embrace of Mugabe's destructive ideologies, you are not only a sellout but a fool and no son of Africa because you support perpetuation of strife of your own people. I have read your other writings where you seem to brag about how well you think Mugabe is doing.You have no empathy for the sufferings of others because you go to bed with your stomach full and do not know what it is to stand in line for hours waiting for a meager loaf of bread.What are the 'good old days' of the racist Rhodesian government you keep harping about? What was so 'good' about racism? You are ignorant - get lost.

Kenneth Kaunda is not ashamed to comment about the Zimbabwe situation, he should keep his small beak shut.He is the same person who wanted to remain a Zambian leader for ever with his trademark white handkerchief.He should go to hell or try heaven because hell is already full.I began liking this man when I ready about him in African History,unfortunately he fell to the same penchant that Mugabe is in now.The Zambians got rid of him because, he was increasing becoming a liability.During my days at Victoria Falls Zambians thronged the town coming to buy basic food commodities such as bread, sugar, milk and other edible stuffs. And guess who was their president? It was Kenneth Kaunda, these are sons of Africa who were ill-treated by the white settler regimes and fought heroically to overthrow them.However when they ascended to the reigns of power they harboured bitterness towards anything with a lighter skin.They betrayed the very people who put them into power and forcefully indoctrinated the majority to install them as lifelong Kings. Armed with Western education ( which even contributed to make them shrewed thinkers and easily detect the evil machinations of the West) they are now in a crusade to tell the entire Africans to denounce Whites because they are evil and want to re-colonise Africa.I do not like Whites myself not because they are evil, but because they despise the ability of black people, however that does not constitute the mis-placed myth that they are entirely evil, there are certain areas in human endeavor where they are by far ahead of black-people.It is for this reason alone that their role in any economy that needs to develop should not be underestimated.Africans will continue to be perennial failures because they traditionally suffer from a colonial hangover and are very quick to cite colonialism as one of their motivations to resist any Western intervention.However to a very large extent Africans (who belong to this antiquated thought) are shooting themselves on the foot, because the world over is moving forward with improving human relations,standards of living and technological innovations.Much of this activity is happening in Western institutions and for Africa to be a spectator in these developments is an economical suicide.Kaunda is 84 like Mugabe( thank God he left office earlier) yet at this time of his life he still cherishes the relics of the cause that made him to fight the white men. That was the 70's, almost 40 years ago,that is a long time.For any human being to be still cherishing some of the retrogressive values is absurd and immoral.This generation no longer needs such Politicians, they are out of date.